Accessible: This entire route is on pavement/blacktop and could be done with some determination and an able assistant. I think a motorized wheelchair could cross the walkway on the south side of the bridge. There are some ups and downs on the zoo pathway.

Runable: When I was a runner, I ran across the bridge, then around Hessian Lake and back. A great run.

Features: The bridge, the Hudson, the zoo, the park, the inn, the skating rink, the merry-go-round.

Watch out for: The second and third floors of the inn are still not open to the public. The gift shop and the café make the trip worthwhile, but while we were there several people asked if they could go upstairs to the fireplace (interesting, but the fireplace is one of my strongest recollections of the pre-renovations interior). Unofficial word is the inn will be fully open “in the spring” …

Be aware this whole walk is on blacktop/pavement; choose appropriate footwear.

Background: I did a Holiday Hike to the Bear Mountain Inn on Dec. 16, 2004; Hike of the Week (HOTW) No. 31, and have been dying to get back there ever since: the big fireplace, the electric trains, the gingerbread houses. Bear Mountain has been featured in HOTW five times, the latest, Sept. 18, describing ATC’s/NYNJTC’s extraordinary handicapped accessible AT at the Perkins Memorial Drive loop right on the summit of Bear Mountain.

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The inn closed for renovations shortly after I wrote about it in ’04, and word was that it reopened this November. Wow — I marked my calendar for a Holiday Hike.

Hike Description: I’ve walked across the Bear Mountain Bridge many times, most notably while a National Geographic TV camera was rolling (“America’s Wild Spaces: the Appalachian Trail”), and always enjoy it. This perfect mid-December day was no exception, as we watched a tugboat push a big barge north up the river.

And, I’ve walked through the zoo countless times, but this time Kath convinced me to actually step inside the history and nature museums. Wow! The path has all kinds of little green signs with interesting facts and figures concerning trees, floral, and fauna: “Do birds fly backwards?” One of my favorites says “Utility Pole.”

There were two very healthy looking bears, and two very healthy looking coyotes. The female coyote, “Luna,” was barking, agitated, and I said to her, “Relax Luna, it’s OK,” and, remarkably, she calmed right down: an extraordinary moment.

There were families and little kids all over the place, and their wide-eyed wonder was a joy to behold. The gift shop is warm, colorful and cozy, and non-shopper that I am, I was compelled to “shop”: “Hey Kath, did you see these bear earrings?” We had a nice lunch at the café, then wandered over to the carousel: rides were a buck apiece — we went for it!

How to get there: Route 9D south, park on right side of road just before it turns onto the Bear Mountain Bridge. You are on the AT. Follow the white 2-inch by 6-inch blazes.

Ralph Ferrusi has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail as a section hiker — twice! He writes Hike of the Week each week for the Poughkeepsie Journal. For comments or to contribute an idea, send email to rjferrusi@frontiernet.net